Local internships provide valuable skills and experience for area students

The Ambassador Program Internship matches students with the right job.

By Pam Paz

ppaz2@student.alamo.edu

Internships give students the opportunity to receive hands-on training in their preferred field of study.

In addition, internships give students a chance to network with individuals in their respective field.

Though some internships are unpaid, the experience and training students receive is worth more than monetary value because they gain a competitive edge over their peers when applying for a job.

However, students can find paid local internships that won’t require them to travel far but will meet their needs.

The Ambassador Internship Program is a paid internship sponsored by the City of San Antonio that “exposes students to professional opportunities and innovative career paths,” according to the City of San Antonio website.

Nicte Hayes, public information officer for the City of San Antonio, said in a phone interview Sept. 12 the program tries to match interns with the right job.

Students have the opportunity to intern with different companies that partner with the city, such as La Prensa, The San Antonio Scorpions soccer team and Univisión.

“We want students to see how attractive it is to live and work in San Antonio,” Hayes said.

Launched in 2004 by then-councilman Julián Castro, the program began with 60 interns and received the Texas Workforce Innovation Award in 2005.

This summer, the program grew to 121 interns.

Hayes said it’s still a competitive process to get accepted into the internship.

For information about the Ambassador Internship Program, visit www.sanantonio.gov/humanservices/educationservices/ambassadorprogram.aspx.

United States Automobile Association also provides paid internship opportunities to students.

USAA offers internships in different areas such as banking, auditing, legal and information technology.

Its internships are 10 weeks long and assign on-the-job training, according to the USAA website.

Though most of USAA’s internships are in San Antonio, they are also offered in Phoenix, Tampa, Fl., and Chesapeake, Va.

Visit https://www.usaajobs.com/campus/internships.html for information about internships at USAA.

Internships can be found for almost any area of study. For more information on internships in the area, visit www.internmatch.com/c/san-antonio-tx.